Jump rope toy

ABSTRACT

AN ANIMATED TOY COMPRISING TWO SPACED-APART FIGURES, AND A WIRE IN THE SHAPE OF A JUMP ROPE DISPOSED BETWEEN AND CONNECTED TO THE TWO FIGURES. A THIRD FIGURE IS DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE OF THE TWO FIGURES. MEANS IS PROVIDED FOR CAUSING THE WIRE TO ROTATE BETWEEN THE TWO SPACEDAPART FIGURES WHILE THE THIRD INTERMEDIATE FIGURE MOVES UP AND DOWN, ALLOWING THE JUMP ROPE TO CLEAR THE BASE OF THE THIRD FIGURE AS IT REVOLVES THEREUNDER SO AS TO GIVE THE APPEARANCE THAT THE FIGURE IS JUMPING OVER THE ROPE. ADDITIONALLY, SLIDE MEANS MAY BE PROVIDED WHEREBY THE INTERMEDIATE FIGURE SLIDES FROM THE TOP OF THE SLIDE MEANS TO ITS JUMPING POSITION AND THEN BEGINS TO JUMP ROPE.

Much 1973 A. E. GOLDFARB JLM JUMP ROPE TOY A in 47 I 27 26 24 53 23. I 25 55 22 26 76 1" 67 49 69 py l7 4/ I3 I N1 1 3 [I l 3 I I i" 32 72 7/ 73 L68 3 33 ADOLPH E. GOLDFARB BY I ROBERT ASHE ATTORNEY A. E. GOLDFARB JUMP HOPE TOY Filed Feb. 24. 1971 2 Sheets-Shoot 2 INVENTOR.

ADOLPH E. 60L DFARB ROBERT M. ASHEN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,721,041 JUMP RGPE TOY Adolph E. Goldfarb, 4614 Monarca Drive, Tarzana, Calif. 91356 Filed Feb. 24, 1971, Ser. No. 118,387 Int. Cl. A63h 11/00 US. Cl. 46-119 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An animated toy comprising two spaced-apart figures, and a wire in the shape of a jump rope disposed between and connected to the two figures. A third figure is dis posed intermediate of the two figures. Means is provided for causing the wire to rotate between the two spacedapart figures while the third intermediate figures moves up and down, allowing the jump rope to clear the base of the third figure as it revolves thereunder so as to give the appearance that the figure is jumping over the rope. Additionally, slide means may be provided whereby the intermediate figure slides from the top of the slide means to its jumping position and then begins to jump rope.

Animated toys are particularly fascinating to young children. Such toys should involve movement of the component parts, preferably utilizing at least two differing types of motion so as to maintain the childs attention. Usually such toys involve a single figure or character and seldom is there cooperation between the action of several characters. Many prior art toys require that a spring be wound to actuate the driving mechanism; a small child either has problems winding the toy or often will overwind and break the spring. Further, a child is distracted by having to continually rewind the toy every time it stops moving. Another problem with various animated toys is the fact that their structure is extremely complex, and thus the durability is limited. Further, as the toys become more complex, they become very expensive.

The herein invention provides an animated toy that combines differing movements. The movements are carried out in a cooperative manner by several figures. The illustrated toy is very simple in construction. It is operated by a child merely turning a crank mounted on the toy so he can control the length and duration of the animation. Basically the illustrated toy comprises a housing having an upper surface on which are disposed two spaced-apart figures. A metal wire representing a jump rope extends between the two spaced-apart figures. The wire has a generally U-shaped configuration such that the bottom portion of the U will clear the top surface of the board when the ends of the wire are rotated. The ends of the wire are disposed within the figures and caused to rotate therein so that the wire will have a jump rope appearance and effect. A third figure for jumping over the rope is disposed on the top surface midway between the first two figures. The jumping figure is weighted and is seated on a separate piston that reciprocates up and down to alternately raise the jumping figure up and lower it back down to the top surface of the housing. The device is timed such that the rotating wire reaches the piston; the piston is elevated in the path of the wire to engage it and momentarily retard its forward movement. The piston then lowers to let the wire pass, but some tension has been imparted to the wire so that it flips or snaps rapidly past the upper end of the piston and between piston and the base of the jumping figure. The interface between the piston and the figure is arranged to facilitate such passage of the wire. The piston thus moves the figure up and down to create the impression of jumping,

ice

with the piston momentarily blocking each passage of the wire and then permitting it to pass. To further aid in the overall animation of the device, a ramp or slide means may be provided on the surface such that the jumping figure can be initially disposed at the top of the ramp means and caused to slide down to its jumping position. It is believed the invention will be further understood from the following detailed description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a preferred form of the toy of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partially sectioned view taken generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the toy.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged pictorial representation of the drive mechanism of the toy.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side sectional view of the ramp of the toy.

Turning now to FIG. 1, there is seen the preferred toy 11 of the invention which comprises a housing v13 having a crank 15 mounted thereon. The housing 13 is provided with an upper wall v16 having a generally fiat upper surface 17 on which is mounted a first figure 1-9 and a spacedapart second figure 21 both figures being rigidly attached to the top surface 17. A wire 23- simulating a jump rope extends between the two figures. Wire 23 is generally U-shaped and has a pair of end portions 22 and 24 rotatably supported in figures 19 and 21 respectively. The wire 23 comprises a pair of leg portions 26 and a center portion 25 which, when the wire is rotated, will clear the surface 17 as shown in FIG. 2.. A third separate figure 27 is disposed medially between the two figures 19 and 21. The figure 27 is caused to move upwardly as the center portion 25 of the wire approaches the surface 17 of the housing at the base of the figure 27. The portion 25 then passes under the figure 27 and figure 2-7 lowers to rest on the surface 17 and await the next approach of the wire. The speed with which the wire 23 rotates, and thus figure 27 moves up and down, is dependent upon the speed in which the crank 15 is rotated. Additionally, the toy may be provided with a ramp 29 on which the jumping figure 27 can initially be seated. When the crank 15 is turned, figure 27 is caused to slide down the ramp and to come to rest in its position between two figures 19 and 21. The movement of the figure 27 down the ramp is timed with the movement of the wire 23 so that it will move into position at a proper time to clear the wire and allow the continuous jumping action to occur without interference.

The mechanism to control the action of the toy 11 is particularly seen in detail in FIGS. 2-4. The crank 15 is rigidly affixed to a horizontally extending sleeve member I18 rotatably supported in the housing 13 by a downward depending support bracket 30. Rigidly afiixed within sleeve 18 is a horizontal axle 33. Axle 33 is connected by a coil spring 35 to an aligned second horizontal axle 37 that traverses the remainder of the housing and is rotatably supported by a downwardly depending bracket 32. The spring 35 serves as a one way drive and clutch between the axles 33 and 37. As the crank 15 is turned in one direction, the spring 35 is tightened so that axles 33 and 37 will rotate together. When the crank 15, however, is rotated in the opposite direction, the spring is loosened, allowing the axle 33 to rotate freely without transmitting rotational movement to axle 37. This is conventional technique for protecting the mechanism against the child rotating the crank in the reverse direction. The end portion 41 of the axle 37 opposite the crank 15 is eccentrically formed. A vertical rod 45 that extends upwardly into the interior of figure 19 has a loop 43 at its lower end that is received on eccentric portions 41 to pivotally connect the rod 45 to the portion 41. The rod 45 has a disc 49 secured or formed at about its midpoint which pivots and slides in a vertical cylinder 51 secured in and extending upwardly through the top wall 16 of the housing. The upper end 53 of the rod 45 extends into a hollow body 47 of the figure 19 and is pivotally connected to an eccentrically offset portion 55 of the end portion 22 of the wire 23. Thus, as the crank 15 is turned causing rotation of the axle 37, rod 45 moves up and down and also from front to back as viewed in FIG. 2. The disc 49 slides up and down in cylinder 51 and also serves as a pivot point for the front to back movement of the rod 45. This movement of the rod 45 imparts a circular motion to offset portion 55 to cause the wire 23 to rotate. Thus, the Wire is solely driven by the mechanism located in figure 19, with end portion 24 merely rotating in figure 21.

While wire 23 is caused to rotate, the separate jumping figure 27 is caused to move up and down and the center portion 25 of the wire is permitted to pass thereunder. The jumping figure 27 is carried upon the upper end 67 of an upright cylindrical piston 61. The piston 61 is mounted for vertical reciprocation at a midpoint between the figures 19 and 21. Up and down movement of the piston 61 is controlled by a cam 73 mounted on the rotating axle 37.

More particularly, an enlarged upright piston housing 59 depends downwardly from the upper wall 16 into the housing intermediate figures 19 and 21. The piston 61 extends through a corresponding aperture 60 in the upper wall 16 and down into the housing 59. The piston 61 is slidably received in the housing 59. The bottom surface 68 of the piston 61 has a pair of outwardly extending ears 71 which are slidably received in side extensions of the cylinder 59. The ears each have a peripheral lip '72, and a pair of springs 63 and 65 disposed within the lips 72 so as to bear against the underside of the housing upper wall 16 and the respective cars 71 of the piston 61. The piston 61 is thus biased downwardly. The cam 73, shown best in FIG. 4, is fixed on the shaft 37 and rotates therewith. The cam 73 engages the lower end 68 of the pistor 61 to move the piston upwardly against the bias of the springs to raise the piston above the surface 17 at proper intervals during the operation of the toy.

The upper end 67 of the piston 61 has a curved recess or depression 69 therein on which the figure 27 is supported. The jumping figure 27 preferably has a weighted ball 75 secured within lower end so that a lower portion 74 of the ball extends below the base or bottom surface 76 of the figure 27. The ball portion 74 rests upon the upper end 67 of the piston 61 and is received in recess 69. This arrangement lends stability to the jumping figure 27 and keeps it in its proper position. In other words, the ball portion '74 interlocks with the curved recess 69. In the operation of the toy, the cam 73 raises the piston 61, which in turn raises the jumping figure 27 so that it is above the surface 17 and in the path of the center portion 25 of the rotating wire when the portion 25 reaches the piston and figure. Thus, the wire portion 25 will strike the raised piston 61. The resistance of the piston causes the wire 23 to slightly deform or flex. The cam 73 then, due to its construction as seen best in FIG. 4, moves so that its apex 78 clears the lower end 68 of the piston 61 and permits the piston to be impelled rapidly downward from its raised position by the force of the springs. This in turn allows the wire which had been placed in tension to spring past the upper end 67 of the piston, between it and the ball portion 74 at the bottom of the jumping figure. In other words, in a split instant, the wire 23, due to the tension build up by the resistance of the piston, will move past the upper end 67 of the piston the instant that it drops below the level of the wire center portion 25. The ball portion 74 will present little resistance to the wire, which can merely pass across its curved surface. The weight of the ball 75, which can be made of metal, serves to prevent the jumping figure 27 from ei g a ed o up y the w re a it p e he aforegoing action is repetitive, with the wire 23 being continuously rotated and the jumping figure 27 being moved up and down to allow the wire to pass thereunder in the manner just described.

It should be appreciated that the herein toy can be comprised solely of the aforegoing elements, with a child selectively placing the separate jumping figure 27 in place so as to jump the rope. However, to further add animation to the device and make it even more interesting, an inclined ramp 2-9 is provided on the top surface 17 adjacent figure 21 and leading down to the piston, as shown in FIG. 1. Initially, the jumping figure 27 is placed in a spherically curved recess or receptacle 31 at the top of the ramp. As seen in FIG. 5, a vertical pin 77 is disposed within an upright cylindrical sleeve 79 positioned at the rear of the receptacle 31 and extending downwardly from the receptacle 31 into the interior of the ramp 29, and through top wall 16. The upper end 81 of the pin 77 is movable, by the operation of the toy, up into the receptacle 31. As shown best in FIG. 4, the lower end 83 of the pin 77 is rotatably connected to one end portion 91 of a crank 85 which may be formed of a bent wire. A second end portion 87 of the crank is curved in a loop and engages an annular groove '88 in a wheel 89 eccentrically mounted on the axle 37. As the eccentric wheel 89 is rotated by the axle 37, the end portion 91 of the crank 85 pivotally connected to the pin 77 is moved vertically up and down to in turn move the pin 77 upwardly and downwardly. When the upper end 8 1 of the pin 77 is raised above the surface of the receptacle 31, it engages the ball portion 74 in the base of the figure 27 seated thereon. As noted above, the pin 77 is disposed toward the rear of the receptacle 31. Thus, it will engage the ball portion 74 toward the rear thereof, raising and shifting it forward so that the figure 27 will tilt forwardly and also be moved forwardly out of the receptacle 31 and onto the inclined slide surface 95 of the ramp 29. The jumping figure 27 will thus slide down the surface 95 to its proper position atop the piston 61. The length of the ramp 29 together with the synchronization of the pin 77 is controlled such that when turning the crank 15, the jumping figure 27 resting in the receptacle 31 is moved at a proper time during the rotation of the wire such that the figure will slide down the ramp and come to rest in its proper position, clearing the wire 23. Thus, the timing is arranged such that the jumping figure will come to rest at the center position, overlying the piston 61 after the center 25 of the wire has rotated past that position.

I claim:

1. A toy comprising:

two spaced-apart fixed objects,

a wire disposed between said objects,

means for rotating the wire past a fixed point between said objects,

and means for raising an intermediate third object when located at the fixed point above the Wire when the wire passes said fixed point,

wherein the movement of said wire and of said means for supporting the intermediate object is synchronized such that said means temporarily interferes with the rotation of the wire when said means is in a aised position and said means then allows the wire to continue its rotation when said means is vertically lowered from said raised position.

2. The toy of claim 1 wherein:

the opposite ends of said wire are fixedly and rotatably secured to said two spaced-apart figures.

3. The toy of claim 2 wherein:

said wire has a generally U-shaped mid-portion.

4. The toy of claim 1 wherein:

said means for rotating said wire is connected to one end thereof.

5. The toy of claim 4 wherein:

at least one of said objects is hollow with a portion of said wire adjacent an end thereof being disposed in the hollow portion,

and said means for rotating said wire is partially disposed in said hollow portion and connected to said wire therein.

6. The toy of claim 1 further comprising:

a ramp means adjacent said fixed point for allowing a third movable object to be controllably moved to said fixed point.

7. A toy comprising:

two spaced objects mounted on top of a raised surface,

a wire disposed between said objects,

a drive means disposed below said surface for rotating said wire and raising an intermediate object when disposed at a fixed point between said two spaced objects in a timed relationship,

a separate support means for supportedly raising the intermediate third object above the wire when the wire approaches,

means for moving the separate support means downwardly relative to the raised object as the wire passes there'between,

said drive means including a rotatable axle,

a ramp means disposed adjacent and leading to said fixed point, said ramp means having an elevated end on which a movable intermediate object may be disposed, and

means connected to said axle for causing the intermediate object to slide down said ramp means to said fixed point.

8. A toy comprising:

a resilent wire fixedly and rotatably secured at both ends thereof, an intermediate portion of said wire being unaligned with the ends thereof such that said intermediate portion describes a wertical orbital path when the ends of said wire rotate,

a separate object disposed between the ends of said wire at a location in the path of said intermediate portion of said wire,

means for rotating said wire, and means for supporting said object and for permitting said wire to pass between said support means and said object,

said means for supporting said object including a vertically movable member which is positionable in the path of said intermediate portion of the wire to temporarily interfere with the rotation of said intermediate portion and thereby flex said wire, said support means being operable to subsequently lower said member out of the path of said intermediate portion to allow said intermediate portion to pass rapidly between said member and said object.

9. The toy of claim 8 wherein:

said object is weighted and has a rounded bottom,

and said member for raising said object has a recessed support portion at its upper end in which said rounded bottom is seated.

It). The toy of claim 8 wherein:

said intermediate portion forces itself between and past said member and said object.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner D. L. WEIN HOLD, Assisant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

